STEM Updates
September 2021
A Message from the Superintendent
STEM Family,
UTPB STEM Academy is focused and determined to making sure all students are on track academically in 2021-2022. We were all very hopeful this school year would be “business as normal” but have realized COVID is still impacting our community and our little school. Despite the challenges of COVID, UTPB STEM is committed to keeping our students, faculty and community safe as well as continuing to providing an exceptional learning environment for our students. In order to do this we are asking our STEM community to please keep students home when they are not feeling well or if the student has been exposed to someone who has COVID. The best way to keep the school healthy is to make sure the virus is not coming into the school.
Please click on the link below to view commonly asked questions about COVID and to view the BinazNOW Rapid Testing Consent Form, please take a few minutes to read over with your family.
Shannon Davidson
Superintendent
UT Permian Basin STEM Academy
COVID FAQ
BINAZNOW RAPID TESTING CONSENT FORM
UTPB STEM Academy is offering COVID-19 testing at no cost for students and staff who develop symptoms of COVID-19 while at school. This testing uses Abbott Laboratories BinaxNOW tests provided by the state and federal government. Students under 18 years of age must have written parent consent for testing to be completed. If you wish to give your consent for COVID-19 testing using the BinaxNOW test, please read and complete this form.
Upcoming Events
Click the link to view our STEM Academy Calendar online.
September
03 Secondary Letter Jacket informational meeting
06 Labor Day (Student/Staff Holiday)
07-10 Book Fair
08 Grandparent’s Day at the Book fair (K-2)
09 Grandparents Day at the Book Fair (3-5)
09 NHS September Meeting 7am
10 Secondary Herff Jones Order Day
13-17 Freedom Week
16 FOCA Middle School Cross Country Invitational
17 Hamburger Fundraiser
22 Snack Attack brought to you by PTO
24 Star Wars Social
24 First six-weeks ends
27 Second six-weeks begins
February 2022
04 Peace, Love, & STEM—Coliseum
March 2022
13-17 Washington DC Trip (6th-12th grade)
*All events are subject to cancellation or change
NEW ATTENDANCE AND ABSENCE PROCEDURES
School-Issued Device Insurance
Damages such as the ones previously mentioned typically require the purchase of a new device which can range from $250 (chromebooks) up to $400 (iPads). The annual cost of this optional coverage is $23.00 for students with school-issued chromebooks and $39.00 for students with school-issued iPads. There are no deductibles and this insurance policy provides full-replacement cost coverage if the device is non-repairable. The deadline to purchase coverage is September 26, 2021.
NEWS FROM THE NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY SPONSOR - MRS. SIKES
The STEM National Honor Society (NHS) welcomes all its chapter members back to school in the 2021-2022 schoolyear.
If your high school student(s), Sophomores through Seniors, is an active member of NHS they have been added to a Canvas Course titled "National Honor Society". If your child believes that they should be in that course and does not see it, they should contact the sponsor at sikes_c@utpb.edu. The canvas course already contains two tasks that must be completed!
I am excited to announce three items this month:
- The members have elected their new officers for this school year (see the flyer attached)
- Our first NHS meeting with be Thursday September 9th at 7:00 am in Mr. McMillan's room. All meetings will be held in the morning for NHS, as many students leave for internships and career prep at the end of the day. For information have your child check their Canvas course.
- All communication will be delivered through the Canvas course and the Remind group (instructions for signing up are in the Canvas course). It is important that these students check their Canvas on a regular basis, as I do not see them on a regular basis, and this is the easiest way to get messages and information out the high schoolers.
As the sponsor of this amazing group of individuals, I look forward to the work we can accomplish this year for our school community, as well as the larger surrounding community.
If you come across great volunteer/community service opportunities, please send them to me at sikes_c@utpb.edu.
Thank you,
Candi Sikes
*National Junior Honor Society, or NJHS, serves grades 7-9 and is sponsored by Mrs. Hutson.
Catered Lunch Options
MCM Eleganté
Chick-fil-A
Join VIPS today!
Fill out this Google Form to be contacted for volunteer opportunites!
Space Book Fair
It's a SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR! We are so excited to bring to you an "Out of this World" shopping experience! Please see the flyer below for date and times to shop!
These Book Fairs cannot be possible without the help of our amazing STEM families. Please consider signing up for a shift or two. Sign up to volunteer here.
Stock the Teacher's Lounge
It’s such a special treat for our Teachers and Staff to have access to snacks and drinks during their work day! Let’s start their school year off right! PTO is reaching out for help stocking both lounges before school starts. Anything donated is greatly appreciated!
Don't have time to shop? We've got you covered. Click this Donation Link. Any amount is greatly appreciated!
Elementary Updates
Dear Parents,
The school year is off to a great start! Although COVID -19 continues to be a challenge for us as well as all districts, I can assure you that learning at the highest level is occurring in our classrooms with engaging mini labs, high level questioning, and engaging discourse. With our model, we release at 2:15 pm on M-Th and noon on Fridays which makes it imperative that our students do their daily homework. Doing so will enhance and cement their learnings from the school day. Our first grading cycle ends September 24.
September 7 -10 is our annual PTO book fair. This year, we are once again inviting grandparents or a special adult to have lunch with their student and then visit the book fair.
The schedule is as follows:
September 8:
- 10:50 - 11:20: Kinder
- 11:25 - 11:55: 1st Grade
- 12:00 - 12:30: 2nd Grade
September 9:
- 10:50 - 11:20: 5th Grade
- 11:25 - 11:55: 3rd Grade
- 12:00 - 12:30: 4th Grade
We hope that you will be able to join us. Remember to reach out to your child's teacher if you have any questions regarding assignments or the learning platform. Stay safe!
Best Regards,
Monica Elizondo, M.Ed.
Elementary Principal
The University of Texas Permian Basin STEM Academy
"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."
-William Butler Yeats
Office 432.552.2588
Fax 432.552.2581
@STEMLeader
@UTPBSTEMAcademy
Elementary Programs Cheat Sheet
Secondary Updates
Dear Parents/Guardians,
This school year is underway and our team at the secondary level have hit the ground running. There have been some changes with the new school year and we want to highlight those this month in the newsletter.
Our first item is a location change. The secondary office is now located at the Founders building. However, we want to make sure all our parents are reporting to the main office before coming over. The main office staff will help direct any questions that you may have. They could also save you a few steps! If you need to meet with me or the secondary staff you can call Mrs. Aguirre to set that time up. We will come by the main office to pick you up and make sure you get to the right location.
Our next big change is the addition of middle school student council, and grade level officers in grades 6-12th. We look forward to Middle School StuCo catering to the needs of grades 6-8. The grade level chair and vice chairs are designed to help support our student councils and represent the views of their grade levels. Below are our current officers and chairpersons. We are looking forward to a fantastic year. Congrats to our 2021-2022 Officers!
In Service to others,
Mr. Cody Griffin
Principal STEM Academy Middle/High School
432-552-3580
@UTPBSTEMAcademy
@PrincipalStem
DC Trip Information
Secondary Programs Cheat Sheet
Cross Country Schedule
School Hours
2021-2022 Grant Applications
UT Permian Basin STEM Academy
Email: stemacad@utpb.edu
Website: www.utpbstemacademy.org
Location: 4901 E University Blvd, Odessa, TX, USA
Phone: (432) 552-2580
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/utpbstemacademy/
Twitter: @utpbstemacademy